Illegal fish in Cali

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Tsunamiboy77

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 13, 2007
160
0
0
Manhattan Beach, CA
Ok so i was walking to a lfs and when browsing the fish, the first thing that caught my eye was a piranaha. Previously on another forum someone had told me that these fish were illegal to own captive in california. i made sure it was a piranaha and not a pacu and it was distintive by its lower jaw. At that petshop all the fishes i thought were illegal were:
piranaha
stingray
gar

dont get me wrong, its not a bad fish store (cus i know the owners pretty well) its just that its pretty crazy to see 7-10 pirannahas or a fw stingray for sale
 
i think with permits you could keep piranhas some vendors on here sell piranhas and they're cali based. I don't know about the rays though!
 
CALIFORNIA:

Prohibited fish species -- illegal to import, transport, or possess live specimens w/o a permit

(4) Class Agnatha - Jawless Fishes

(A) Family Petromyzontidae - Lampreys All nonnative species (D).

(5) Class Osteichthyes - Bony Fishes

(A) Family Percichthyidae - Temperate Basses

1. The species Morone americana (White perch) (D).

2. The species Morone chrysops (White bass) (D).

(B ) Family Clupeidae - Herrings Dorosoma cepedianum (Gizzard shad) (D).

(C ) Family Sciaenidae - Drums Aplodinotus grunniens (freshwater drum) (D).

(D) Family Characidae - Characins

1. Astyanax fasciatus (Banded tetra) (D).

2. All species of the genera Serrasalmus, Serrasalmo, Pygocentrus, Taddyella, Rooseveltiella, and Pygopristis (Piranhas) (D).

3. Hoplias malabaricus (Tiger fish) (D).

(E) Family Salmonidae - Trouts Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon) - Restricted in the Smith River watershed (D).

(F) Family Lepisosteidae - Gars All species (D).

(G) Family Amiidae - Bowfins All species (D).

(H) Family Poeciliidae - Livebearers Belonesox belizanus (Pike killifish) (D).

(I) Family Channidae - Snakeheads All species (D).

(J) Family Cyprinidae - Carps and Minnows

1. Leuciscus idus (ide) (D).

2. Ctenopharyngodon idellus (Grass carp) (D), except that permits may be issued to a person, organization or agency for possession of triploid grass carp, under conditions set forth in Section 238.6.

3. Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Silver carp) (D).

4. Aristichthys nobilis (Bighead carp) (D).

(K) Family Trichomycteridae (Pygidiidae) - Parasitic Catfishes. All species (D).

(L) Family Cetopsidae - Whalelike Catfishes. All species (D).

(M) Family Clariidae - Labyrinth Catfishes All species of the genera Clarias, Dinotopterus, and Heterobranchus (D).

(N) Family Heteropneustidae (Saccobranchidae) - Airsac Catfishes All species (D).

(O) Family Cichlidae - Cichlids

1. Tilapia sparrmani (Banded Tilapia) (D).

2. Tilapia zilli (Redbelly tilapia) (D), except permits may be issued to a person or agency for importation, transportation, or possession in the counties of San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial.

3. Tilapia aurea (Blue tilapia) (D).

4. Tilapia nilotica (Nile tilapia) (D).

(P) Family Anguillidae - Freshwater Eels. All species of genus Anguilla (D).

(Q) Family Esocidae - Pikes all species (D).

(R ) Family Percidae - Perches

1. Perca flavescens (Yellow perch) (D).

2. Stizostedion vitreum (Walleye) (D).

(S) Family Catostomidae - Suckers All members of the genus Ictiobus (Buffalos) (D).

(T) Family Cyprinodontidae - Killifishes Cyprinodon variegatus (Sheepshead minnow) (D).

(6) Class Elasmobranchiomorphi - Cartilaginous Fishes

(A) Family Carcharhinidae - Requiem Sharks All species of genus Carcharhinus (Freshwater sharks) (D).

(B ) Family Potamotrygonidae - River stingrays All species (D).


Source: California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 671. These regulations are promulgated by the California Fish and Game Commission pursuant to statutory authority set forth in the California Fish and Game Code. (There's a statutory list too, but the one from the regulations is more complete. The statutes only contain the original list, whereas the regulations also include all species added by the Commission.)

You can also see the entire list of prohibited animals for California at the following link:

Restricted Animals Of California
 
Cali peole should note the type of rays not legal in cali!!!! Atlantic ray is not in this family making it legal to keep at the moment.:grinno:
 
No, 'O' is the family heading, and it lists the prohibited cichlids underneath that - looks like only four members of the Tilapia genus.
 
Illegal fish are sold state wide - you just don't talk about it on the internet for obvious reasons.

Some people think it's worth the risk, others don't feel like forking out the 25,000K fine if you get caught.
 
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